Charitable choices and accountability

Moses Ben Maimonides was a genius who inspired many Christian leaders such as Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus. A rabbi, chief of all Jewish communities in Egypt, teacher, philosopher, physician and counsel to Muslim sultans in medieval days, he may still be the greatest expert on what we call “charity.”

This Jewish “Albert Schweitzer” gave to the world the “eight degrees of charity” needed today by Christians and all religions of the world. They are:

1. The gift of the hand, but not of the heart.

2. To give cheerfully, but not proportionately to your ability or the need of the sufferer.

3. To give cheerfully, proportionately, but not until asked.

4. To give cheerfully, proportionately, unasked, but putting the gift in the sufferer’s hand so that personal pain and emotion of shame are incited.

5. To give so that the recipient knows the donor but donor does not know recipient.

6. To give so that the donor knows the recipient but recipient does not know the donor.

7. To give so that giver and receiver remain anonymous. A “chamber of silence” was in the ancient temple where gifts were left and dispatched anonymously.

8. Anticipate charity by preventing poverty, help all to rise to full potential.

Jesus said, “Give to him that asketh and to him who would borrow turn not away” (Matthew 5:42).

“Take heed that you do not your alms (acts of charity) before men to be seen of them… when you do alms, sound no trumpet (to call men’s attention to your charity)… let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing…” (Matthew 6:1-4).

But Jesus encouraged intelligent giving. He gave no gift to the man with the withered hand but healed him so he would work, likely as a mason or sculptor.

Peter said to the beggar at the temple, “Silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give thee… rise up and walk,” and he gave him a hand up instead of a handout.

Ben Franklin said, “I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading them out of it.” He could thank Maimonides for that wisdom.

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for one meal. Teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

Now, to be Scrooge for a moment. In 62 years as a minister, one of my greatest joys and frustrations has been dispensing charity through the churches I served.

Most situations were clear as crystal and it was a satisfying thing to let our local benevolence fund assist. But there are always the con artists, the old car pulling up to your house or church loaded with children and a hard luck story in need of food, a place to stay, gas for the car and some money for the road to get to relatives or a new job.

I’ve been a sucker many times, but chose to err on the side of kindness rather than cold scrutiny. I have a beef with fellow ministers who do not cooperate in a central agency to be accountable and make sure the supplies get to the honest needy instead of the dishonest con artists.

When someone asked for help, we learned from a Salvation Army specialist to always get the name, address, Social Security number and the name of the last landlord if possible.

In one city, we had a central number at a fire station that was a clearing house to filter out the freeloaders and get even distribution to the ones really in need. Deep Well, HELP, First Call For Help and other good agencies are there.

In another community, one man with the sad tale of needing money to go pick up a dead child in the hospital in Charleston netted more than $2,000 in a couple of hours. But we learned he had been using that story for five years and every church had been suckered in. The sheriff picked him up, made him apologize and he had to serve time.

Jesus said to be charitable, but not stupid. And with all charities, “love with head and heart” where there is accountability.